Island Health confirms 1 new COVID-19 death in final update of the week
B.C. health officials have confirmed one new COVID-19 death in the Vancouver Island region Friday.
Across the province, nine COVID-19-related deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, including the one in Island Health.
Since the pandemic began, 2,529 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., including 162 in the island region.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, 65 people are in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island.
Friday's total is up from the 56 patients in hospital Thursday, and an increase from the 37 reported one week ago on Jan. 14.
As of Friday, 11 patients are receiving critical care in Island Health, up from seven reported Thursday and nine confirmed on Jan. 14.
Roughly one month ago, on Dec. 21, 40 people were in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 in Island Health, including 15 patients who required critical care.
NEW CASES
Health officials have confirmed 2,364 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 334 cases in the Vancouver Island region Friday.
Although confirmed cases are only a fraction of the total number of cases in B.C., health officials say the test results are still an indicator of transmission rates in the province.
"Yes, we have our highest test positivity rates ever, and it's in the 20 to 30 per cent positive range, but that means 70 per cent of people who are testing don't have COVID-19," said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry at a live update Friday morning.
There are currently 33,997 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 2,024 active cases in the island region, according to the Health Ministry.
At the briefing, Henry added that contact tracing was no longer an effective tool for managing the pandemic, since the Omicron variant is highly transmissible.
"We now need to shift our management and think about the things we can do across the board to prevent transmission and prevent ourselves from being exposed," she said.
VACCINATIONS
As of Friday, approximately 89.4 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged five and older have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.5 per cent have received two doses.
Meanwhile, roughly 37.8 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged 12 and older have received a third dose of vaccine.
Earlier Friday, Island Health declared three new COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care homes on Vancouver Island.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
'Oppenheimer' finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions
'Oppenheimer' finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. Japanese filmgoers' reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional.